The original title for this comedy series was “Dead Belgians Aren’t News.” This was dropped as being possibly offensive (!) and replaced with the “donkey” title. Some journalists claim that this is a joke used in TV newsrooms, referring to the “filler items” (lost cats being found etc) which every news studio has handy to fill up the news slot, but which can be dropped from the programme if a last-minute story comes up. The title may contain a further joke, as the staff of the fictional Globelink newsroom feel very put-upon and exploited (doing donkey work, in fact) by the ferocious Sir Royston Merchant, whom the audience never see, but whose fabled demands dominate the action. Like the staff, the series, which ran from 1990 to 1998, was under pressure to produce topical stories, especially in the early years. There were references every week to stories then in the news, with jokes about politicians of the day (“More on Heseltine.” – “Yes, he is, isn’t he?”)